As is the case with various facets of supply chain management and logistics, it seems like many things these days are more fluid than they used to be. And when it comes to Peak Season, it is clearly not an exception.

Understandably, economic indicators factor into Peak Season prospects. And based on the current economic environment at the moment, it is more than fair to say that these prospects are mixed, which has, in a sense, become the new normal.

Some of these indicators include things like: still-high inventories, low import growth, with imports down nearly 7% through the first five months of the year; sluggish GDP growth and industrial manufacturing activity. On a more positive note, though, are improving consumer confidence and retail sales numbers, a strong U.S. dollar, and an ever-improving business-to-consumer growth outlook, as it relates to e-commerce activity.

With that said, it remains difficult to definitively determine if there will, or will not, be a typical Peak Season in 2016. And data from a Logistics Management readership survey of nearly 220 buyers of freight transportation and logistics services providers points to that thesis, too.